The Detroit region is a home to a robust technology infrastructure, a business climate in the nation’s top ten and a workforce recognized around the globe for its skills, expertise, work ethic and productivity.

Data provided by Oakland University’s Southeastern Michigan Economic Data Center, which offers state-of-the-art information and analysis on demographic and business trends in the region. Learn more at www.oakland.edu/semedc. The Southeastern Michigan Economic Data Center is presented by Flagstar Bank.

A Center for Talent

In 2017, the Detroit region’s civilian labor force was greater than 2.5 million. Southeast Michigan is not short of skilled labor and is one of the area’s primary assets as a manufacturing location. This stable and well-educated workforce is ready and able to adapt to the changing needs of today’s technological innovations. In fact, Michigan is among the nation’s leaders for skilled manufacturing workers. The regional broad base of manufacturing expertise assists in the recruiting and training of staff.

In addition to a large pool of graduates from the area’s top-rated private universities and two-year colleges, regional Detroit employers have access to graduates from excellent schools including the University of Michigan, Wayne State University, Oakland University, and Eastern Michigan University.

Regional Detroit Employment by Industry

Regional Detroit Largest Occupations

The Detroit region is a large employer of service and retail occupations, indicating its presence as a hub for all types of retailers as well as a growing center for the restaurant business. The Detroit region is also a renowned center for health care providers, demonstrated through its employment of over 55,000 registered nurses, a number that continues to grow each year.

It is estimated that over the next five years the Detroit region will add more than 90,000 jobs to its workforce. The health care and social services industry will add nearly 40,000 jobs, followed by professional, scientific and technical services, which will add nearly another 20,000 jobs to the region.

Description

2017 Jobs

2026 Jobs

Net Change

Personal Care Aides

31,262

40,465

9,203

Real Estate Sales Agents

59,628

66,847

7,219

Registered Nurses

55,492

61,253

5,761

Hairdressers, Hairstylists, and Cosmetologists

33,889

39,526

5,637

Heavy and Tractor-Trailer Truck Drivers

40,576

46,072

5,496

Home Health Aides

24,478

29,903

5,425

Combined Food Preparation and Serving Workers, Including Fast Food

66,883

71,878

4,995

Property, Real Estate, and Community Association Managers

25,150

29,260

4,110

Software Developers, Applications

19,448

23,486

4,038

Taxi Drivers and Chauffeurs

11,194

15,215

4,021

Managers, All Other

27,123

30,675

3,552

Postsecondary Teachers

31,341

34,773

3,432

General and Operations Managers

32,597

36,028

3,431

Mechanical Engineers

34,053

37,291

3,238

Personal Financial Advisors

20,624

23,796

3,172

Customer Service Representatives

51,731

54,829

3,098

Nonfarm Animal Caretakers

16,018

18,786

2,768

Construction Laborers

22,426

25,073

2,647

Landscaping and Groundskeeping Workers

24,676

27,246

2,570

Self-Enrichment Education Teachers

11,908

14,473

2,565

Total Forecasted Job Growth

86,378

Source: Economic Modeling Specialists Int'l

Fastest Growing Occupations in the Detroit Region, Percent Change

Leading the job growth by percent change are rock splitters, elevator technicians, and insulation workers. Other occupations that experienced significant growth percentage include those in the casino industry, personal financial advisors, private investigators, and commercial pilots.

Description

2017 Jobs

2026 Jobs

% Change

Derrick Operators, Oil and Gas

18

32

78%

Service Unit Operators, Oil, Gas, and Mining

112

176

57%

Roustabouts, Oil and Gas

107

165

54%

Rotary Drill Operators, Oil and Gas

48

73

52%

Aerospace Engineers

235

356

51%

Computer and Information Research Scientists

205

306

49%

Solar Photovoltaic Installers

105

156

49%

Cooks, Private Household

64

92

44%

Prosthodontists

14

20

43%

Geographers

24

34

42%

Environmental Engineering Technicians

162

227

40%

Taxi Drivers and Chauffeurs

11,194

15,215

36%

Elevator Installers and Repairers

392

528

35%

Financial Clerks, All Other

505

678

34%

Civil Engineers

6,481

8,596

33%

Information Security Analysts

1,184

1,566

32%

Gaming Service Workers, All Other

59

78

32%

Surveyors

715

942

32%

Mathematicians

45

59

31%

Statisticians

472

617

31%

Source: Economic Modeling Specialists Int'l

Highest Paid Occupations in the Detroit Region

The Detroit region is filled with expert health care practitioners and medical specialists. In 2015, highly specialized medical workers (anesthesiologists, surgeons, nurse anesthetists, orthodontists, and OBGYNs) all displayed median hourly earnings over $80. Other high paying Detroit occupations in 2015 included work in executive management, transportation/material moving, and life/physical/social sciences.

Highest Paid Occupations 2017

Description

2017 Jobs

2017 Median Hourly Earnings

Surgeons

1,203

$99.50

Anesthesiologists

635

$95.26

Nurse Anesthetists

1,426

$91.23

Prosthodontists

14

$89.22

Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons

105

$87.81

Orthodontists

106

$84.14

Psychiatrists

581

$83.59

Internists, General

2,104

$83.21

Dentists, All Other Specialists

94

$80.50

Dentists, General

3,314

$78.95

Source: Economic Modeling Specialists Int'l

STEM Occupations in the Detroit Region

With more than 200 occupational and educational programs granting nearly 18,000 degrees in 2013, the Detroit region develops professionals in the fields of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics while making sure it retains them. The current STEM workforce in Metro Detroit totals over 165,000 workers, which is greater than 34 states’ total STEM workforce.

The Detroit region granted more than 1,500 degrees to students interested in computer and mathematical occupations in 2013, with the largest number of graduates in statistics at 615, followed by 482 graduates in mathematics. By 2020 the Detroit region will have 65% of the state’s operations research analysts due to an expected growth rate of 8.7% over the next five years.

Due to the automotive and manufacturing concentration in the Detroit region it is no surprise that Michigan leads the nation in jobs for mechanical engineers at 30,673. The Detroit region alone has 24,892 mechanical engineers, nearly equal to the entire state of California and over 3,800 more than the state of Texas. Other engineering occupations that are expected to see notable growth over the next five years in the Detroit region are civil (13%), aerospace (19%), and biomedical (18%) engineering.

The Detroit region graduates and employs several thousand students of psychology each year. The 2,379 working psychologists in the region make up 80% of all psychologists in Michigan. Other life, physical, and social science occupations expected to grow over the next five years are chemical technicians and environmental scientists, both at a rate of 14% by 2020.

The Detroit region workforce is more than manufacturing based. Michigan and the Detroit region have the highest concentration of engineers in the United States. For every 1,000 workers in the region, 39 are employed as engineers. In addition, Michigan is leading the way in information technology job creation and already more than 350,000 are employed in the industry.

To feed the talent pipeline, the Detroit region’s colleges and universities, such as the University of Michigan, Wayne State University, Lawrence Technological and others, rank in the Top 10 for graduating students in each type of degree conferred. Detroit regional community colleges engage nearly 140,000 students and work with local companies to develop customized workforce training.

Detroit provides access to a global talent pool, ranking only second to Chicago among Midwest metropolitan areas in percentage of foreign-born workers. Employers in the Detroit region also have access to Windsor, Canada, home to 330,000 people.

Jobs Forecast

Region

2017 Jobs

2026 Jobs

% Growth

Southeast Michigan

3,096,550

3,278,769

6.0%

United States

196,403,461

217,253,774

11.0%

Source: Economic Modeling Specialists Int'l.

Unavailable – Population by Age

Detroit Region Employment Year-Over-Year % Change

﻿Unavailable – Detroit Region Employment year-over-year % change

For a visual look at the region, check out our Regional Snapshot, an infographic with some of the region’s most important statistics.

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Contact

Angela

Ladetto

Director, Business Research

aladetto@detroitchamber.com

313.596.0418

Christyn

Lucas

Manager, Business Research

clucas@detroitchamber.com

313.596.0372

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